Yet Another Cinderella Story
by kimanioverthinks
Summary: Re-posted under the title 'Welcome to the Real World' after editing some chapters, and lengthening it a bit. Check back soon.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything… I was inspired by a book I read a long time ago, you may know the story, Cinderella? :) Oh, I also own the characters.

**A/N: This is modernized, there will be different themes than the original Cinderella, but I'll try to keep as clean as possible. So, with that said, race ya to the bottom!**

* * *

Last night, Arianna dreamt that she went to Camp Rock again. In the morning her step-sisters yelled, "Wake up, Orphan Girl," and she knew this time that it was no dream. Starting today she was going to Camp Rock, the most noted Music Camp in California.

No longer would she be forced to work all summer at her stepmother's spa. As a poor girl on a scholarship, she might not fit in with the rich kids who were expected to be at Camp Rock, but she never really fit in anywhere, so what?

Since she overslept, Arianna had no time to apply concealer to her face or grab an energy bar. Not that she had zits; it was the freckles she wanted to hide. And there was no way she would have gotten anything into her stomach before ten A.M. without gagging.

She threw on a pair of secondhand jeans she had found at the Goodwill store and a T-Shirt with a faded Dutch Goose logo, and grabbed her bag and her guitar. Since she never really had many clothes to start with, all her stuff fit into one bag. Brie and Lauren were already out of the house and impatiently honking the horn of their Jeep Cherokee.

"We should have left you, and then you would have to take the bus to camp," Brie said.

"Sorry," Ari muttered. They'd love an excuse to ditch her this morning, but their mother, Irina, had forced them to give her a ride to camp, probably because Irina herself didn't want to do it.

"Look at our charity case, Brie," Lauren said.

"Isn't that my shirt?" Brie asked.

"You threw it away," Ari said, but Brie didn't hear her over the noise of their new sound system.

A few minutes later, Lauren turned to look at Arianna. Her perfectly straightened hair brushed against her perfectly tanned cheekbone.

"Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone at school that you're related to us, which you're really not."

"Don't worry," Ari replied. They thought she would claim to be a part of the family her father married into? As if.

Maybe Arianna would live to regret the day she'd filled out those scholarship forms. Now, she'd be at the same camp where her mean, self-centered and popular sisters were going.

"You're not going to like it there," Lauren said, as if she had been reading Arianna's mind. "Everyone's rich and snobby. If you don't wear the right clothes or drive the right car, you're nobody. Of course, you've always been nobody, so maybe you won't notice."

Arianna fastened her seat belt and pressed her spine into the corner of the backseat where she was wedged between bags of her sisters' clothes, even the trunk didn't have enough space for them. She felt the chill from their cold warning seep through her shirt.

"Even Brie and I had a little trouble fitting in at first," Lauren continued. That was hard to believe. They were rich, anything they wanted, they got. The clothes, the boys, the cars, the house, the fame, it was all theirs. They practically ruled the camp, with Tess of course, and got what they wanted from who they wanted.

Ari didn't live that life, she had to work for the little money she got, and that was minimum wage, from her own stepmom. Pathetic, right?

"Then why…"

"Why do we go there?" Lauren finished for her.

"I'll tell you why. It's a cool camp, that's why," Brie said, from behind the wheel.

"But, mostly, it's about meeting the right people," Lauren continued. Ari knew where they got idea. It was Irena's theme song. It's why she sunk so much money into her string of upscale day spas, so that she could buy her way into Silicon Valley society and meet the right people. Specifically, husband number three.

"Camp Rock is something we could use to get into the right college," Brie said.

Arianna bit her tongue, she had seen her sisters' SAT scores, they would be lucky to get into the infamous party school, Haden State. If things went as planned, she would show them who got into the 'right' college.

Her goal was to go as far as possible, preferably somewhere on the East Coast and never come back. She knew the drill now. Knew how to fill out the application forms herself, forge the required signature of her guardian (after all, she did take care of herself, and how hard was it to write Irena Lawson- Kent on the dotted line?) and write the kind of essay it took to get financial aid. How many guitar, piano and singing, penniless orphans could there be applying to Yale, Harvard and Princeton?

She wasn't at all afraid to play the orphan card to get what she wanted. Ever since her father died, she felt like she was completely alone. Legally she had a guardian-Irina- who provided a roof over her head and three meals a day and who gave her a job at her spa so she could earn spending money.

But emotionally, she had no support from her stepmother or her stepsisters. They wouldn't miss her when she was eighteen and gone off on her own, and God knew she wasn't going to miss them.

Lauren turned to sing along to the radio. Arianna stared at the back of her head and wondered for the thousandth time how her quirky, low-key father had even ended up with their high maintenance mother.

An hour later, Brie jerked the jeep to a halt in front of the entrance gate to the parking lot.

"Get out here," Brie said, "before we park. And remember, you don't know us and we don't know you."

Arianna slid across the seat and was lifting her guitar out of the car when Brie started driving away. She caught her instrument before the battered case bounced on the pavement. One minute sooner and it would have been her butt bouncing on the pavement.

As she was walking to her cabin, she was notified that it would be cabin, Dragonfly, and she would be bunking with two girls, she noticed what the other kids were driving. Most were driving sixteenth-birthday-present Beemers or H2 Hummers.

She shivered in the cool morning air. She wasn't at home anymore, with her Best Friends Forever, even though she still wore the gold necklace with the dangling F. Elizabeth wore the B and Fiona wore the other F.

She took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of new grass and old money. Wow! These kids even smelt like their money.

There were kids everywhere wearing the cliché Abercrombie which was subject to the stereotypes and flip-flops. A girl walked by in a pink Hollister shirt and a mini-skirt and flip-flops.

She knew she'd never fit in. Never fit in this society, or into the size two designer jeans, even if she could afford them, which she knew she couldn't. What had she done? No matter how challenging the songs and dances were to learn or how inspiring the others were, she wasn't ever going to fit in.

Unable to quell the hollow sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Arianna scanned the crowd, trying to pretend she was waiting for someone. Anyone.

Just as she thought she couldn't take it another minute, a vintage, Alfa Romeo convertible slowly cruised by. At the wheel was a tanned god. That was the only way to describe him.

"Who… is… that?" a girl asked from somewhere behind her.

"Nate Gray, his brother Shane was here last year. He's from Connect 3. I heard the other Connect Three members would be here too, even Mitchie!" her friend responded.

He wore dark sunglasses. His skin was the color you could obtain only from sitting in the sun for the right amount of time. His hair was a dark shade of brown. Arianna stood rooted in place, staring as he drove past. If the earth shook she wouldn't have felt it.

What she did feel was waves of heat rising from the sidewalk, traveling through her body until she was hot all over, making her face flame and her heart pound.

For once, she saw the star of the camp before her sisters did.

A hush fell over the students fell over the kids as the Alfa turned, and just before it did, the guy turned his head and raised one hand in a half salute, half wave. Ari couldn't help it. Her arm lifted all by itself and she waved back.

Why? He wasn't even waving at her. How could he be? She didn't know him and he didn't know her. From somewhere behind her, she heard the unmistakable sound of girls snickering. Had someone seen her making a fool of herself? On her first day? Oh, please no.

She dropped her arm like it was made of lead and stuffed it in her pocket. The Alfa continued on the circular drive to the parking lot. No more snickers. Just silence. It was as if the whole building was holding its collective breath until the he disappeared into the mass of expensive parked cars.

He was gone and life went back to normal, for everyone but her. Shouts, cries and laughter filled the air. She must have the only one who waved at him like he was her friend or something. Now she felt like some kind of clue-less dimwit.

Arianna didn't dare look around to see if anyone was staring at her. She swallowed hard and glanced at her watch before heading off to find her cabin, all by herself.

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**A/N: Hey guys! How was the race to the bottom? Good? Bad? Boring? Review and tell me! Tell me what you think. I hope I get some good reviews from my loyal Rivals' readers! Even though that story was painfully pathetic!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Camp Rock, never will. Let's move on shall we?

(A/N: Hey guys! Sorry, I was suspended for a few days; if not you guys would have gotten your update sooner. Sorry, I feel really guilty about that. It was for posting an 'interactive' story. I'm not complaining, I'm just taking my punishment. PLEASE TAKE MY POLLS!! lol... That was dumb. Please anyways?

* * *

Alexis Paras walked into the large room they were using for dance classes with Shane Gray. She wasn't a dancer, so she was hiding out in the kitchen with Connie Torres.

As she walked into the classroom, everyone turned to stare at her. She had that ability. She was about 5' 6" and was skinny. She was Asian and her hair was cut short (against her parents will), with bangs barely covering her brown eyes. She was really pretty and people liked to stare, but she didn't mind.

She stood in the back behind a light skinned girl with long, curly brown hair who wasn't getting any of the moves right. She was a klutz, no better way to put it. She stifled a laugh and tried to pick up the dance moves.

After a while, Alexis seemed to be getting it when a slightly complicated move caused her to get a bit throw back. Well, not a bit, let's just say she landed on her butt, in front of the whole class.

The girl with the curly brown hair turned around and helped her up. She seemed to be the only one who wasn't laughing. Alexis thought that was refreshing. But, the girl was too 'American' to be Lexi's friend. None the less, Alexis swallowed her pride and took her hand and let her pull her up.

"Ok. Everyone alright back there?" Shane asked, flashing a mega-watt smile.

"Yeah." Arianna chimed, along with the rest of the class.

Ari and Alexis picked back up into the dance and an hour later, their class was over. Alexis was slightly disheartened to discover that she and Arianna had all the same classes.

They headed to the dining hall together, seeing as they had classes together Arianna must have assumed they were 'friends'. Picking up a plate and a grilled cheese sandwich, Alexis headed to a table, followed by Arianna who was carrying a plate of ham and cheese and some pudding.

"So, what's the deal on this place?" Alexis asked after taking the first bite of her sandwich.

"You don't know about _Camp Rock_?" Arianna asked.

"Yeah, hence the 'what's the deal on this place'," Alexis replied.

"It's only the best music camp ever!" Ari said.

Alexis nodded.

"So, what are you doing here?" Arianna asked, playing around with the sandwich on her plate.

Alexis could have lied and said something like, "Oh, I felt like exploring my options for college," but she didn't. "Well, my parents got divorced and I lived with my dad in America while my mom lives in China. Recently, my dad got placed in prison and no-one wanted to take care of a little Asian chick with problems. An aunt sent me here while she tries to prepare a home for me."

"Oh," Arianna replied.

"What about you?"

"Well, I'm an orphan, living with the she-witch and her two daughters, who may I add, are also devils. My parents both died, mom before dad, and I didn't want to work at my step-mom's spa, so I applied for a scholarship here."

"So, who are your stepsisters?" Alexis asked.

Arianna pointed them out to her. Brie and Lauren were eating French fries with Tess Tyler, and a couple other blonde girls with exposed torsos. Alexis looked repulsed.

The conversation continued, consisting of mainly friendly chatter and two girls lost in thought. Arianna only looked up when she saw a blur of pink. She was just in time to see Brie dump her ketchup all over Alexis's shoulder.

"Brie!" Arianna shrieked.

Brie, Lauren and Tess smirked at her. "That's wasn't nice Brie," Lauren teased.

"Look at it this way. I did her a favour, that _white _shirt needed some color anyways."

Arianna glared at them. Wishing she could just ruin them like they did her. She took a deep breath and began to count to twenty.

She grabbed Alexis's hand once she had calmed down enough to even think clearly. She led her out of the hall and onto the path, nearly colliding with the bronze god who was driving the Alfa.

"S-s-sorry, sir," Arianna stuttered. He chuckled.

"Do I really look that old?" he asked.

Arianna shook her head and dashed off leaving a very perplexed Alexis standing there beside an even more perplexed Nate.

"So," Nate began awkwardly.

"I'm sorry about that, let me go find her," Alexis said.

"Nah, no worries, I'll do it."

Alexis nodded and with that Nate headed off in search of Arianna.

…………

_I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you_

Arianna didn't want to admit it; but she missed her dad. She wondered if he was watching her now. If he was, why didn't he try and do something about Irina and Brie and Lauren. It just didn't seem likely.

She leaned against the wall and put her guitar on the grass beside her. She was presently sitting behind the mess hall, which was now empty, hiding from Nate.

"That was pretty good," a voice said softly. Oh no, it's not-.

"Oh hey Shane," Arianna breathed a sigh of relief. Shane sure did sound like his brother.

"May I ask what you're doing behind here?" Shane asked, taking a seat on the grass.

"You may, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Ok, I won't ask then. I'm too hot to die," he joked.

"So, what are you doing back here?" Ari asked.

"Hiding. From my brother."

"Me too," Ari muttered.

"Then we have something in common," he said. Ari found it strange that Shane didn't ask why she was hiding, but she was fine with that.

"So, what class do you have next?" Shane asked.

"Singing, with Nate," Ari said.

"Want me to walk you over?" he offered, standing up and brushing off his jeans.

"Yeah," Ari took the hand he offered and pulled myself up. Ari walked with Shane back to the class, where he left her to do some swimming.

This is going to be interesting.

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(A/N:Hey guys. I'm so sorry. I wanted to get this update to you guys faster, but I couldn't. You know why if you read the first A/N. What do you think?

I want to thank some awesome reviewers:

it's simply me: Thank you so much. Your review totally made e want to keep writing. On and on and on. That's why this chapter is so long :D

xSecondStarToTheRightx: Thank you for the review. I'm trying my best. But, bear with me please :)

Elizabeth Rankley: I hope that, like Arianna, you will get your happily ever after :) Thanks for the great review. I hope this chapter has the same amount of emotion.

roxyredrosesþs: Thank you so much. Here's your update. HOPE YOU LIKE LIKE LIKE IT!! CUZ IT'S YOUR MORE MORE MORE... :P

Buchworm13: How was the race this time? Just as good? Better? Worse (I hope not)?

bethyboomarch2: Hey Bethy! Thanks so much for the review. Unfortunately, no more Rivals... :(... I think you rocked though! :D PM me later?

-Kim

AKA. indiechica95

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or its fabulous characters… I own Arianna and Alexis.**** I also don't own the amazing song, 'Don't Touch' by Ashley Tisdale or the song 'Natural Disaster' by Alexz Johnson. Both are great, check them out.**

**(A/N: I'm baaaaack. Miss me? I kn****ow you did no need to answer. This chapter is dedicated to Bethany and Kimberly, my amazing pals! And Rochelle, thanks for explaining key signature for me!)**

* * *

Arianna stepped into her class and discovered it was empty, except for Nate, leaning against a chair, strumming his guitar softly. Deciding it was too late to run, she spoke up.

"That's pretty amazing," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, hey, I didn't see you there," Nate said, standing up. Well, that was expected.

"Why would you? I'm invisible," she said, instantly regretting her choice of words.

"Well, that's strange. I can see you now," he said, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed, "Ok, not literally."

"I know what you meant. Sometimes people just don't understand, and don't seem to notice," he explained.

She nodded.

"So, where's the rest of the class?" Arianna asked after a minute.

"I was warned by Brown that they never really get to class on time."

Soon after, kids started trickling in, slowly but surely. Eventually, the group of people Arianna didn't want to see made their way in. Brie, Tess and Lauren in all their shimmering glory, tromped into the room, taking seats right under Nate's nose.

"Hi, Nathan," Brie purred, trying her best to be attractive.

"Hello, I'm not sure I know your name though."

"Brie and this is Lauren and Tess," she said, pointing out each person as she said their name.

"Oh," he said, pulling out his papers to start the class.

"We'll start by picking a couple students to come up here and show their talents," Nate said.

Brie, Lauren and Tess stuck up their hands.

"Well, okay, you three, Hannah, and Joelle," he said picking each of the students out.

Arianna slumped into her chair. She knew he wasn't going to pick her. Things just didn't work that way. But, somewhere deep inside she hoped he would, because she really wanted to impress him.

Brie, Lauren and Tess went first. Tess took center-stage like a leader. She was, after all, the daughter of TJ Tyler. Didn't that make her queen bee, or princess bee, or something?

_Zoom zoom in under my skin  
Gotta slow down now to begin  
Baby don't rush you can look but don't touch  
You think you know  
When you see me in my videos  
How the story goes  
But that's just the side I expose  
Look through the lens  
You see my body, not who I am...  
So don't pretend  
And try to act like you're my boyfriend  
You wanna get somewhere  
Then boy don't touch me there  
Just get up close and personal, personal[Chorus:]  
Zoom zoom in under my skin  
Gotta slow down now to begin  
Baby don't rush you can look but don't touch  
Zoom zoom  
In...to my head  
Gotta know me to be my man  
Boy prove your love  
You can look but don't touch[Chorus][Chorus]_

_You won't behave  
You're getting all up in my face  
Barely know your name, you're tryin' to score  
But it's not a game  
Boy get a clue yeah,  
You gotta spend the time  
Pay your dues following the rules if you want me to want to be with you  
You wanna get somewhere  
Then boy don't touch me there  
Just get up close and personal, personal_

_Don't you dare  
Touch me there  
If you want to get somewhere  
Zoom in get to know me, boy  
Don't rush  
Zoom in if you want me, boy  
Don't touch_

They finished and walked off, winking and blowing kisses over their shoulders like real drama queens. To Arianna, their skirts couldn't have gotten any smaller or they would defeat the whole purpose of wearing clothes.

Unfortunately, Nate looked impressed. If possible, Arianna shrunk further into her shell.

After a couple more performances, Nate suggested they all work on breathing exercises and learn to warm up their voices.

After class, Arianna grabbed her guitar case and raced out of the room, before Nate had a chance to talk to her. Shane seemed to be someone she could talk to though. She headed in search of the pop, I mean rock, star.

* * *

She rushed out to the lake, where she hoped Shane would be. He was in fact sitting there, reading a book, feet dangling over the lake.

"Hey popstar," she said, sitting down beside him.

"How was class?" he asked.

"Class was… interesting, if nothing else," she said, after contemplating her response.

"Ah, step-sisters giving you trouble?" he asked.

She stared at him. "How'd you know?"

"I have this camp wired. Speaking of which, here they come now," he said, nodding his head in the direction of two arguing figures. Upon closer inspection, Ari realized they were her sisters.

"I've got to go. They'll kill me if I'm caught with you," Ari said before jumping up and racing off, leaving her tattered guitar case behind.

Shane jumped up and grabbed her guitar case, trying to figure where she went. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to find her as Brie and lauren had closed in on him. Shane felt like he was dragged into one of those stupid Animal Planet shows he and Nate were dragged into watching with Jason, to see the 'birdies'.

"Hi Shane," they said, coming closer by the second.

"Hi, and bye," he said, turning and running in the opposite direction, leaving behind shocked girls, and trying to find Ari.

On his way, he bumped into a pretty Asian girl with short hair and a slightly sour expression.

"Oomph… Sorry about that," he said, helping her off the ground.

"I can do it by… myself," she huffed.

Shane eyed her suspiciously.

"What are you staring at?" she demanded, once she was off the ground and had brushed off her skirt.

"You," he replied with a smile.

"I dislike you," she said, before storming off.

"Sorry, she's a little high-strung," Arianna said, coming around the corner.

"But, she's a really nice person. Her name's Alexis," she explained.

"Here's your guitar," Shane said, passing over the case.

"Thanks, I was just headed to find you," she said.

"So, where are you off to now?" Shane asked, following Arianna down the path.

"My cabin."

"Oh," Shane said, still following her. They came to a halt before the cabin Arianna had indicated. She said goodbye and hurried up the wooden steps. She opened the door and walked inside. There was a short blonde girl sitting on a bed, drawing in a sketch pad and another girl with mousy brown hair listening to an iPod sitting on another bunk. Ari walked over and dropped her guitar case on the unoccupied bunk.

"Hi, I'm Arianna," she said to the two girls.

"Hey, I'm Jody and this is Bethany," the blonde said.

"Cool," she said, sitting down on her bunk and beginning to write the words flowing into her mind on paper.

_Am I another Casualty?  
In the battle you're fighting?  
You're your own worst enemy,  
At war with yourself, but you can't see._

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**(A/N: Hey guys. I posted a couple one-shots earlier. I hope you guys read and reviewed them… Bethy, did you see yourself anywhere up there? Hmm… I got a joint account with my best friend, check it out. We go by 'the-resistant-public.' We're working on our first story. Check us out, we'll be big soon. Review and tell me what you think… Constructive criticism is accepted…**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: If I owned any of Camp Rock's fabulous fab-ness then I wouldn't be 'disclaiming' them, I would be 'claiming' them. So, go back and read the first word on this page.

(A/N: I'm here again. I typed this one after feeling bad about not updating in a long time. I felt awful. I've just been a bit busier than is normal. But, hopefully, I'm back.

* * *

Arianna got up quickly and shuffled out of the cabin. She clutched her schedule in one hand and her guitar was slung over her shoulder. She had a free period next.

She walked out onto the quiet leafy patch of grass in front of the mess hall. She sat on the bench and pulled out her phone. She flipped it open to reveal she had a text message from Lizzie.

She punched in Lizzie's number, now was not the time for text messaging. She needed to talk to her friend for the usual first day pep talk.

"Where are you?" Arianna asked.

"In my car. I've had it, I can't take anymore. I'm outta here."

"Already? Come on Liz, you can do it. Go back into the camp. You'll get used to it. You always do."

"It's just that everyone here is so perfect. It's like sports' camp to the worst level. A kid is already being checked out for a scholarship, at thirteen!" Lizzie exclaimed bitterly.

"Tell me about it. Kids here ride in Hummers! Lizzie, no-one here is like me!" Ari replied.

"Arianna!" a voice called, out of breath. Arianna's hand went numb. It was Nate.

"Umm… Ari? Who was that?" Lizzie demanded.

"I… um… I need to go. Bye," she said, before slamming her phone shut and hiding it in her pocket.

"Hey," Nate said, sitting beside her. Her face took on a pinkish edge.

"Hi," she said, twiddling her thumbs in her lap.

"I wanted someone to talk to. I have a free period now too, but there's no one about. Shane's in class and Jason's fast asleep. Mitchie's doing her nails with Caitlyn," at this he shuddered, "and they tried to paint my nails pink when I told them I was bored."

"Oh, I was thinking about going for a walk, or maybe a swim. We have time. Wanna come with?" Arianna suggested.

"Sure, why not."

"Let me go change then. I'll be right back." At this, Arianna grabbed her things and rushed towards her cabin which was now empty.

She pulled on her swimsuit and a pair of shorts before heading towards the door. She stopped and decided to pull on a shirt. She grabbed a black shirt, which she had gotten from Lizzie.

Rushing back, she found Nate sitting on the bench she left him at. "Ready?" she asked him.

He nodded and stood up.

They walked slowly towards the lake, making small talk.

"So, I heard you have sisters here."

"Yeah, I'm sure you know them."

"I don't think so," he replied, thinking.

"They ones who sang with Tess," she spat out bitterly.

"Oh. They have beautiful voices. It must run in your family."

"They're step-sisters."

Before Nate could reply, she had pulled off her shirt and shorts and dived in. He stood staring at her.

"What? Coward?" she teased.

He pulled off his shirt and dived in as well. While they were swimming, three figures were walking past.

"Oh. There your sisters are. Brie! Lauren!" Nate beckoned them.

Arianna took in a mouthful of oxygen, before becoming completely submerged under the water. Nate stared bewildered at her feet kicking their way down to the bottom of the lake.

"Hey Nate," Brie crooned, before being pinched by Lauren, who she sent a dirty glare.

"Hey," Lauren and Tess chimed together.

"Hey, wanna come for a dive with us?" Nate offered.

Without asking who exactly was 'us', they replied, "Sure."

"We have to change though," Tess spoke up, before grabbing the girls and dragging them away. Arianna re-surfaced seconds later.

"What was that?" Nate asked.

"I'm sorry. I have to go, they'd kill me if they found out I was with you," Arianna replied sadly, swimming for the edge of the lake and the pier.

"Well, bye."

"I had fun, Nate. Don't forget that," Arianna said, before grabbing her clothes and running off.

"Me too. Maybe too much fun," he whispered, mainly to himself.

Arianna ran back to her cabin to change before she went to meet Alexis, who was just exiting her class.

"How was class?" Ari asked.

"Stupid. Why do I need to learn how to tune a guitar?"

"What do you suggest they teach then?"

"Martial Arts," Alexis replied, without an ounce of playfulness.

"You like Martial Arts?" Ari asked. It was hard to believe that someone as petite as Alexis could even kill a fly.

"You don't?" Alexis asked.

"I just didn't have the money to learn."

"Oh. I should teach you sometime," Alexis agreed.

"Not now though, food time, Lex!" Arianna said, leading her to the Mess Hall.

"Not worried about the Barbie's are you?"

"Barbie's? I like it!"

"But, are you worried about them?"

"Nope. They won't even be there. They'll be throwing up with Tess in their cabin bathroom."

"Gross."

"Yeah," Arianna agreed, pushing open the doors to the Mess Hall. She joined the line behind Alexis.

"So, did you hear about the Costume Party?" Alexis asked.

"No. What about it?"

"Well, they're having one this year. We all get to dress up and everything. Everyone's planned to drive into town and get costumes tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it actually."

"Cool."

"What are you planning on going as?" Alexis asked, once they were seated at a table.

"Maybe I'll just throw on a mini-skirt, an Abercrombie shirt and some flip-flops. I'll say I'm going as Brie or Lauren. They won't mind. I'll tell them I'm just giving them upped status," Ari replied, smirking.

"Really?"

"Nah. I just don't have the money to buy a costume," Arianna whispered shamefully.

"No problem, you can come with me and I'll buy you one."

"Thanks; but I can't accept that," Arianna replied.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't wanna be rude."

"It would be rude to deny."

Arianna gave up. Alexis was adamant that she was going to the party. What could she have done?

The next morning, Arianna met Alexis in the parking lot to drive into town. She was ready. Well, as ready as she ever would be. She wasn't sure she was willing to let Alexis go through with what she had planned. There'd have to be a compromise between the two. If that was possible.

Alexis skipped over, joyful at the prospect of getting to give Arianna a make-over.

_Help._ Arianna silently pleaded.

* * *

(A/N: I'm super sorry. My dad got a real job recently. Don't get me wrong, he was self-employed until two weeks ago, when he got an actual job. Whoot! Go him… I had to spend a couple days helping him clear out his office. Anyways, let's move on to something else. I hope you like it! This one goes out to Bethany! I'm so happy she hasn't killed me for not PMing her in a long time... SORRY BETH!)

Kim

xoxoxo


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own squat, zip, zilch, Nada. It isn't mine. Happy?

(A/N: I'm super sorry about this, it's been ages. I know, don't kill me though!)

* * *

Arianna slid into the passenger side of the car and Alexis gunned the engine. The Ferrari roared to life and sped out of the parking lot, right in front of an Alfa Romeo convertible. Ari sighed, pulling out her book to cover her face.

"What's that book about?" Alexis asked, peeking at her after they hit the highway, curious.

"A tragic love story involving a vampire, a werewolf and a human," Arianna muttered, not looking up from the lines of text.

"Arianna, please stop chewing on your nails," Alexis shrieked, suddenly.

Ari looked up, confused. She tilted her head slowly to the side and glared up at her. "You bother me for this?"

"Just stop! It seriously damages your cuticles. That's more work for me later!"

"Fine," Ari mumbled, opening the book again. Unconsciously, she began nibbling on her thumbnail once more. Alexis heaved a groan and Ari rolled her eyes, but stopped biting on it.

Alexis hit the play button on her stereo and some pop music blasted from the speakers, slightly deafening Arianna.

… _The last time I freaked out, I just kept looking down, felt like I couldn't breathe…_

--

Alexis parked the car and both girls got out of the car and headed into the mall. Alexis dragged a reluctant Ari into a department store first.

"I thought we were looking for costumes?" she whined, her face grumpy.

"We are, but there's other stuff we can do."

"Like what?"

"Make-up," she replied, leading Ari to an empty make-up chair and waiting for an attendant to come to them.

"Hey. I'm, like, Lindsay, like, how can I help you?"

Alexis broke off into a muttered conversation with the stylist and Ari picked up the words 'foundation' and 'bronzer' and 'lip plumper' and her eyes widened.

"Lexi… Lexi… **Lexi**," she whispered frantically.

"What?" Alexis replied, breaking off her conversation and looking annoyed.

"This won't hurt right?"

"Poor, poor, naïve little girl," Alexis shook her head. _At least she's right about the poor part, _Arianna thought.

"All right, here we go. What's your experience with make-up?" Lindsay asked, looming over her.

"Chap stick and concealer is all I can do."

"This is a disaster zone, but I'm not giving up!" Lindsay vowed.

Wow. Ari wondered how much money Alexis gave her.

She pulled up a moving desk thing and grabbed a brush and a little jar and got started. Someone else took her hands, gasping when they noticed her nails. They pulled up some shimmery pink nail polish and got to work.

An hour and a half later, Ari was staring in disbelief at her reflection in the mirror of the hair stylist they had just seen. She looked… amazing. '_Like Alexis. Better than Brie or Lauren_,' she thought. Her hair was straightened and then cut into layers which had a light brown undertone to them. Her eyes were lined in a plum colour with some gray-black eye shadow on her upper lid. Her lips were peach and looked plump and not swollen (she had just learnt that plump is good, swollen is not).

They headed to a couple more stores and Alexis threw things into a cart. None of it was for Alexis. It was all for Arianna. Her jaw slackened when she saw the price, but dropped completely when she saw that Alexis had pulled out the exact sum, and was handing it over to the sales clerk.

"Alexis, you shouldn't have done that. Now I have to pay you back," Arianna hissed into her ear.

"No, you don't. I won't accept the money anyways," she replied, tucking her purse back into her bag.

Then Arianna heard the words she'd been waiting for.

"Costume time," Alexis announced.

"Finally!"

They headed into a store which claimed to have the best costumes in California. "_Yeah right,"_ Ari thought, glaring at the sign, _"plastic fangs and body paint, and other scary stuff."_

She was pleasantly surprised when she saw the variety of costumes. "Woah. Wow," she murmured to herself when she spotted a complete Hogwarts' student costume.

Alexis pulled her over to a rack of funny looking shoes.

"Cool, huh?"

"Let's go try some."

--

Ari and Alexis had finally got back to camp. Luckily, before dark, thanks to Ari's grumbling belly. You can change her hair and put on make-up on her, but some things never change.

On her way back to her cabin, she noticed people that people were staring. She wasn't used to that, so she ducked her head, allowing her hair to fall over her face, and ran back to her cabin, knees buckling from the weight of her bags. She had her costume in a red and black bag under her arm and she was proud of it. It was more like a combination of her three favourite costumes in the store. Ari liked it, Alexis liked it, and so it was all cool.

Dinner hour had ended long ago; she and Alexis were probably the last ones to arrive back at camp. Her stomach grumbled again, and she stretched her tee-shirt down over it, as if the cotton would drown out the grumbling.

Her cabin-mates still hadn't arrived back yet, so she dumped all her bags on the floor. She muttered, "now what do I do?"

"Aha!" she cried triumphantly before tripping in her haste to get to the door with a loud 'Oomph'.

She picked herself up and turned out the lights in the cabin and headed out to the kitchen. She sneaked down the path, ducking into the bushes whenever someone was passing. Finally, she was nearing the kitchen.

Satisfied with the obvious darkness, she opened the door and headed inside. She reached for the lights and flicked them on, screaming when she saw Shane sitting on the counter holding a cupcake covered in blue frosting and smirking.

"What are you doing up so late?" she demanded. He burst out laughing.

"I could ask you the same question," he said, taking in her appearance, "you look cute."

Arianna blushed, "thanks."

"This is about Nate isn't it?" Shane asked, all playfulness gone.

"No," she said, honestly. "Alexis decided I needed a makeover."

"Oh. I just thought that everyone here liked him, and I thought you were one of those girls."

"Got any more of those?" she asked, eyeing his cupcake.

"Didn't eat?"

"Nope, Alexis doesn't believe in the junk they serve in the food courts either."

"Here," he said passing her a cupcake and a napkin.

"Thanks," she crawled up onto the counter beside him.

--

Shane heard the soft, even breaths coming from his companion and looked down to see Arianna sleeping. He chuckled before tossing the two napkins into the bin and picking her up. To his surprise she was pretty light, even though she didn't look it.

He carried her to her cabin and set her down gently before scrawling at note to her cabin-mates.

_Arianna fell asleep in the kitchen. I didn't want to leave her so I carried her back. Sorry about the bags on the floor. I would pack them away, but I don't know where to put them. Just put them out of the way for me._

_Shane_

_=D_

Then, he silently trudged out of the cabin, taking care not to wake anyone and back to his cabin to find Nate sleeping. He changed and crawled into his own bunk, falling asleep instantly, exhausted.

* * *

(A/N: Seriously, guys. I had this chapter typed up and everything, but then I got a couple viruses which killed my files, so I'm in a pickle. There goes all my school stuff. I'm trying to make up for it, so I'm kinda busy. There's a million other things going on too, but you don't want my excuses, you want a story. Sorry. On a brighter note, I finally got 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse' so I'm all good. Thanks to Ellie (SilverAurora) for the awesome feedback on this chapter! Plus, exams are all done, I'm free!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I claim no rights to Camp Rock, or anything else Disney related.**

**(A/N: I have a few things I'd like to cover. **

**I didn't have this chapter beta-ed. It was the last chapter, I'm sorry to say. It's not the best. I'm not going to delete it. It's part of my transformation into a better writer. I'm getting better. I'm eager to start anew, and eager for this to end, so it's the last chapter. **

**I do want to say Season's Greetings. Thanks to everyone who was here with me during my few moths on here and I'd like to mention a few: SliverAurora, bethyboomarch2, Serendipity545, Mashiitastic, it's simply me, among others. Thanks, guys, and Merry Christmas. :)**(Arianna's P.O.V.)

* * *

I woke up in the morning, fully clothed, and jumped out of bed. I headed to take a shower, getting dressed carefully, trying to remember all the things that I learned from Alexis about matching clothes and what not.

I met up with Alexis in front of the dining room for breakfast at minutes to nine, and we headed inside. After claiming a table in a corner we went to grab some food.

Sitting back down, Alexis asked, "how're you liking the new look? Any one notice, yet?"

"Just Shane noticed so far; and he was pretty nice about it."

"Oh. I think your step-sisters are mad though."

"Yeah, but that's not my problem. I didn't break any of their rules. I pretended not to know them," I replied, stealing a quick glance over my shoulder at the twins.

"Here Shane and Nate come," Alexis pointed out seconds before the two guys in question sat at the table.

"Hey Ari, and Alexis," Shane greeted. Alexis glared. I think she likes him. She just won't admit it.

"Hey guys. Thanks for last night, Shane," I said, smiling.

"Ari, I like the new look," Nate said, quietly.

"Thanks," I replied, looking down, tugging at a loose string in my shirt.

"Oops. We've got to hurry; class starts in five minutes," Alexis cried, suddenly, tugging me up. I shot an apologetic glance at Shane and Nate. They nodded; indicating that it was fine by them.

I followed Alexis down the path and to the room we were supposed to be using for our instrumental classes with Jason Gray. Yes, another Gray, silly people.

I was pretty good considering I was already learning to play the guitar, but there was still much more for me to learn.

After class, I was dragged out to the pier with Alexis.

"So, the dance is in two days. Ready?" she asked.

"Not really," I replied, honestly.

"You'll look great. And Nate will be super excited to dance with this princess," she said, giving me a once over.

"I have to dance with Nate? I can't! No! No! No!" I started panicking, sending Alexis into a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

She was able to choke back the giggles long enough to answer, "You're paranoid. You'll be fine!"

"How are you so sure?" I asked, still unsure about the whole concept of me, dancing. Eeep!!

"Just because I am, silly!" she said, getting up.

"Eek! Arianna you look great!" Alexis shrieked, jumping off of my bunk. I was getting ready to go to the party and I was having doubts about my costume. _What if it's too crazy and nobody likes it? What if it gets caught and tears? What if someone has the exact same costume?_

Alexis was dressed in a Tinker bell costume which complemented her height perfectly. It was so cute! Her hair even had blonde highlights just for the occasion.

My costume was a crazy old English princess costume, with the wig and everything. I was even wearing dainty slippers to complement the dress.

"The shoes look great, Ari!" she said, admiring the glassy death traps.

"Thanks, Alexis," I muttered. I linked my hand with hers and followed her out of the cabin and to the main hall.

"Still nervous?" she asked. I glared at her, "What do you think?" She shrugged and stepped up the stairs daintily, dragging me up behind her.

"Hey Ari," some random girls shouted. I was beginning to get used to that since the makeover. I waved, not even bothering to look at the three girls in matching bunny suits.

I stood in a corner with Alexis, looking out for Nate. I thought I spotted a head of curly hair when some guy stepped in front of me. He was wearing a pirate costume with a stuffed bird on his shoulder.

"Excuse me; I'm looking for someone special," I replied, glaring at the stranger.

"Umm… I'm sorry."

"Never mind. He's probably gone by now anyways," I replied, slightly bothered, but not yet annoyed.

"Do you want to d-dance, or… umm… something?" he stuttered, looking _very_ nervous.

"Yeah, why not? Let's dance, stranger," I could think of many reasons why not though. He cleared his throat and chuckled nervously. I extended my arm and he took it nervously. I dragged him to the dance floor where we swayed awkwardly to the music.

"So, what's your favourite colour?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I guess it would be green or blue," he replied, "yours?"

"Probably orange or yellow, they're nice colours."

"Favourite song?"

"I guess people think I like cookie-cutter pop music, but I actually like more classic songs, oldies and stuff," he shrugged.

"Why would people think that you like cookie-cutter music? Are you in a band that plays that stuff or something?" I asked, looking into his deep, brown eyes.

"Sorta."

"What's your favourite book?" he asked.

"Well, I read almost anything, but I'm a sucker for a good horror/romance. I'm actually reading a really nice series. You?"

"I guess you could say I'm not really a reader, but I do like to read comedy," he said, after a moment of consideration.

"How many instruments can you play?" I asked.

"Quite a lot actually; guitar, piano, drums… You?"

"Just guitar and I can play 'Happy Birthday' on piano."

"Maybe I could teach you sometime," he suggested, smiling teasingly.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He seemed slightly stunned by my response.

"Cool."

"I have to go, sorry," he said, reluctantly letting go of my hand. I removed my other hand from his shoulder and stepped back.

"I had a good time dancing with you. I'll see you later, right?" I asked. He nodded eagerly, before walking away. I headed to try and find Alexis. I saw her talking to a guy dressed in a classy suit with a mask.

"Hey Alexis, hey Shane," I said, looking at the costume, "what are you dressed as?"

"I'm not really into costumes," he explained.

"Where's Nate?" I asked, spotted who I had a feeling was Jason. The guy was wearing a Big Bird suit… definitely Jason.

"He's dressed as a pirate," Shane said, "but I'm not sure where he is." My jaw dropped a couple inches. The guy I danced with was Nate. There was no denying the chemistry I felt. That was for sure.

-

I followed Alexis outside. She was excited, Shane had asked her out. Brown came around telling us that we were going to meet out by the lake for some firecrackers, and we nodded before following him and a group of campers. We walked to the pier, not speaking, both of our minds occupied. I was thinking about Nate. Why didn't he tell me who he was? Why?

As we reached the lake I spotted the pirate. I tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Popeye."

He turned, smiling.

"Nate, seriously, why didn't you tell me it was you?"

"Because I thought you didn't like me," he said, looking down.

"I do," I yelped as a firecracker went off near my feet. He chuckled.

Slowly, his face inched closer to mine. I inhaled the sweet smell of his cologne and sighed. I pressed my lips softly to his and fireworks erupted above us. He pulled away, and I leant my head against his chest.

"That was magical, Ari," he whispered.

-

I waved at Alexis and Shane, climbing into Nate's car. I blinked back tears as Nate closed the door. The twins had left already. I didn't need them to get home. I had my pumpkin, driven by Prince Charming himself. Life was sure to get good.

The Alfa drove out the gates and for once I was satisfied.

It was the end, but was also the beginning.

* * *

**(A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope it was at least, bearable. I didn't bother to have this beta-ed, sorry Ellie. I thought you might want a break. It's the end, but like I just said, also the beginning. Stick with me, and enjoy your holidays, some longer than others.**


	7. Big News, please read

I'm reposting _Yet Another Cinderella Story _under the title _Welcome to the Real World_. I think it's better, and will be longer. I'm not going to abandon it, but I might not be able to update as frequently as I'd like. So, check it out and review for me, please.


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